In Sri Lanka sexual offenders are pretty much the same as petty thieves. After all, assaulting and raping a 12 year old girl is the same as stealing mangoes from your neighbours garden– at least that’s how our judiciary see it. In 1995, after much coercion by women’s rights lawyers and activists, a law was [...]
Rajiv is torn between pleasing his parents and pursing his passion. Time is running out and he’s cornered into choosing a safe but dull career in the field of commerce or trying his luck as an artist. As the walls close in on him, Rajiv picks the latter; but at a dire cost of losing [...]
No; not like a virus circus that can only be viewed through an electron microscope. This was a notch better. Our Forum Theatre group staged a play about HIV AIDS- how the disease is contracted, how to protect yourself and wrong notions about the disease. It was back on 10 December at the Royal Skills [...]
In the run up to the 2012 Galle Literary Festival in which Beyond Borders will be participating in two sessions, we decided to run down to Galle to gather some ideas for our dramas. We didn’t get up early in the morning, as is customary when going our of Colombo, to catch a bus. Rather we decided to go a little [...]
Day sixteen features a photograph by Raashid Riza. It’s the final day of the campaign and we’re highlighting how children affected by domestic violence. Contributing to the topic, the following post was made by Bhagya Senaratne. Their Story It’s not my story to tell. However, I have been privy to this for a few years [...]
It’s admirable to know that there is at least a certain section of society concerned about the mental and physical violence that women and men have to undergo, but I believe that activism which encourages victims to voice their sufferings should not just stop there. Voicing to the world about the brutality one undergoes or [...]
Day fifteen features a photograph by T. Intimate partner violence is a little studied, yet frequently occurring phenomenon in Sri Lanka. IPV occurs in many ways, including psychical, verbal, psychological and sexual abuse by a spouse. Reports show that there is a high prevalence of abuse such as marital rape and sexual abuse, wife beating [...]
Day Fourteen features a photograph by the BB team. Fists Don’t Listen By Abdul Halik Azeez Fists don’t listen in my blurry state I’m a dog without a home My psyche can’t love; slave to a world that never throws me a bone The system rules the outer world My task is your sustenance The [...]
Day thirteen features a photograph by Rushda Mohinudeen. While gender-based violence has recently emerged as a salient topic in the human security community, it has been framed principally with respect to violence against women and girls, particularly sexual violence. In this article, I argue that gender-based violence against men (including sexual violence, forced conscription, and [...]
Text can be changed. Day twelve features a photograph by Salaf Tegal. ‘Violence’ is a harsh word. On hearing the phrase ‘violence against women’ what comes to mind may be brutal images of- an acid burnt face, a severed limb, a broken bone or a black eye. Those are the more apparent forms of abuse. [...]
The good news- Sri Lanka is a ‘low prevalent country’ for HIV AIDS. The bad news- With the country’s precipitant development, the risk of HIV AIDS spreading wildly is a burning problem. What’s worse- The youth are highly vulnerable to contraction of the virus due to the “increase in migration internally, externally and internationally due [...]
Day eleven features a photograph by T. In our homes, on our roads, in our classrooms and at our workplaces, women and men are subject to harassment, abuse and injury on a daily basis. A reported 60% of women suffer from domestic violence; simple extrapolation suggests that all of us are victim to some form [...]
Day Ten features a photograph by Hyshyama Hanim. Call it what it is. Despite decades of grappling with gender based violence issues, the world still lies to itself, culture still sets up excuses, society still believes in myths around abuse, violence and discrimination of women. You and I are still trying to understand its root cause. No [...]
Day seven features a photograph by Ramzi Zaindeen. In most cases of Gender Based Violence, be it street harassment, rape or domestic violence, women don’t seek help. The reason for this may be anything from feeling at fault for what happened to them or not having faith in the police or justice system. Unfortunately, as [...]
Day eight features a photograph by Abdul Halik Azeez. Use A Dictionary. The genders often speak in different languages. A word that sounds harsh and coarse can actually denote love and tenderness when translated though the specific emotional and situational context your counterpart is in. Practice patience and empathy, understand the multifaceted meaning and not merely the shallow [...]
Day Seven features a photograph by Sara Kellapatha. Every year, large numbers of Sri Lankan women travel to countries in the Middle East to be employed as housemaids and in doing so, they leave behind their families, most often husbands and children. What some of them may not know is that the female children in [...]
Last year, someone known to me was flickering with ebullience and oomph that she was going to get married. She was gracious enough to let my eyes run through her gifts of velvet cased jewellery and other apple polished frilly elegance. She also told me the guy was 23, fluent in his English because she wasn’t and hadn’t [...]
Two months ago I sat for my first year final exams at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Last months edition of the Hi Magazine showcased 3 pages of clothes from designer K.T Brown – modelled by me. And in December, I will be on Art TV – as a contestant for the Super Model [...]
Day six features a photograph by Hanim AbdulCader. Most domestic violence cases go unreported. Many victims foster a false sense of hope that things will change and turn around for the better. The victim thinks the abuse is caused by a flaw in the relationship that could simply be worked out. They don’t see it [...]
Day Five features a photograph by Gerald Pereira. Gender based violence is not restricted to adult women. Children are subjected to gender based violence as well, such as genital mutilation, molestation, incest and sexual abuse, differential access to food, medical care, and education and child prostitution. UNICEF Statistics- Adolescent birth rate- Number of births per [...]